Farnes Chatter

Farnes Talk

As part of our new events program, we are bringing you an exclusive talk about the Farne Islands next Tuesday (Tuesday 28th May) at Bamburgh Cricket Pavilion. The talk will feature a 'behind the scenes' look at the Farnes from the amazing wildlife to life on a rock for nine months. The talk will be brought to you by the rangers and it should prove to be a highly entertaining evening for all. 

The doors open at 19:15 with teas and coffees served. The talk will begin at 19:30. An admission price is £4 per person and all money raised will help go support the amazing wildlife of the Farne Islands. All welcome! So come along, have a great night and support the Farne Islands.

Wooden Expect That!

Wood Warbler on Inner Farne (David Kinchin-smith)

First spring record since 2008 (David Kinchin-smith)

Despite the weather...looking good (David Kinchin-smith)

Monday 20th May comments: Its been another interesting day on the Farnes and another day without seeing the mainland! The thick fog remained and at one point, we couldn't see the end of the island, never mind the sea! Despite the conditions, migrant birds continued to arrive including a stunning Wood Warbler; our first spring record since 2008.

The bird showed well, feeding actively in wet conditions on Inner Farne and looked good alongside our Puffins! The male Bluethroat remained although both the Shrike and female Bluethroat have moved on. Soon we'll be into the world of seabirds, so these migrants have been a nice distraction. The fog is due to lift tomorrow, so come out and visit, you'll not be disappointed.

Reddy Meals

Bluethroat Farnes style - with a nesting Eider (Bex Outram)

...and a female Bluethroat... (Bex Outram)

Female Red-backed Shrike (David Steel)

Distant but showy (David Kinchin-smith) 

A migrant 'White' Wagtail

Lesser Whitethroat Farnes style...on the boardwalk

Rare's habitat - lichen covered rocks ideal for migrant birds

 

Sunday 19th May comments: Another spring and yet more Bluethroats on the Farne Islands. It may sound blasé, but the Farnes remain part of an exclusive handful of UK localities which can still boast annual records of Bluethroat, despite numbers on passage decreasing considerably in recent years.

In 60 years of recording, the Farnes have boasted records in every year apart from nine seasons’ with recent ‘blanks’ only occurring in 2005, 1999, 1983 and 1982. Following on from last years five records, we’ve bagged another two this weekend as a stunning male and then a female were discovered on the outer group of islands.

Both birds were part of a larger movement of common and scarce migrants which arrived on Saturday across the islands and remained all day Sunday. Bluethroats are related to Robins (but with blue chests!) and breed in Scandinavia but have been caught out by our inclement weather as they head north from southern wintering grounds. However once the weather settles, they will reorientate themselves and continue their journey north.

Also amongst the arrival of birds, a 'butcher bird' was discovered; a female Red-backed Shrike on the West Wideopens as well as a good scattering of commoner migrants including a Long-eared Owl. Its been a busy weekend, following our Puffin press day, but we'll bring more news of that tomorrow. For the time being, the migrant birds have been grabbing the headlines.

Little brother is watching you...

It's a magical moment, and one that few people have ever seen: a puffin has been caught in the act of laying an egg on one of Inner Farne's new 'BurrowCams'. The mum-to-be was observed by rangers contracting heavily and acting rather uncomfortable, and over 10 minutes later after a lot of shuffling around, she laid a single white egg in her nesting chamber.

Both adults have since taken it in turns to incubate the developing egg, and hopefully in five to six weeks we'll see the chick hatch and be able to follow its development into a fully fledged puffling!

Puffin Census 2013

Puffin census year!

Just a few to count....

Nest burrows to check

New 'Puffin Cam' in visitor centre on Inner Farne

Hands down....

The team counting burrows

Do we have one?

Friday 17th May comments: It’s time for lift off. Having been in the planning for several months, today we launch our Puffin census, the first full population count of the Farne Islands in five years. The count, which will take two months to complete will bring the very latest population trends for the islands and will reveal more about our iconic birds which live on the Farnes.

The census takes place every five years and records date back to 1939 when 3,000 breeding pairs were recorded. The last survey in 2008 recorded 36,500 pairs of puffins across eight islands. Over the next two months, the ranger team will be surveying all the islands (a mammoth task as you could imagine!) and counting occupied burrows.

Puffins nest underground in burrows which means the Rangers will have to put their arms into the holes to check for occupation and until 2008, each survey since the census began 65 years ago showed a steady increase in numbers. However the last count indicated numbers had fallen by a third as in 2003 the census revealed there were 55,674 pairs living on the Islands. We hope to have the results by early July and it’ll be interesting to see what has happened since the last census.

On an even more exciting level, for the first time on the islands we have ‘Puffin Cam;’ two cameras beaming live pictures back to the visitor centre on Inner Farne of ‘life in a burrow’. At present one pair are incubating an egg and anyone visiting can watch Puffins like they have never seen them before. Stay tuned to the Farnes blog as we'll bring you more information a bit later today with some amazing film which was recorded from a burrow on Wednesday.

Welcome to the Year of the Puffin. Its going to be epic.

Fulmar Eggs



Welcome to egg club: Fulmars now on eggs

 

Stunning Black Redstart remains

A giant Swift - our first of the year

Summer is here!

 Thursday 16th May comments: What a difference a day makes. Yesterdays gales and driving rain were almost forgotten as the Farnes bathed in glorious sunshine and flat seas, which was much appreciated by everyone connected with the islands. A few migrant birds lingered including a stunning Black Redstart (which showed well alongside a male Redstart) and out first Swift of the year; summer is on its way.

Our breeding seabirds enjoyed the weather change and so much so, we discovered out first Fulmar eggs. We now just need Kittiwakes to join the 'egg club' and then our season will be going places. It's been a busy week and its only going to get busier as the Farnes and its Puffins are about to hit the big screen...but more of that tomorrow. We've got a long day ahead tomorrow so an early night planned...you have been warned. 

'Owling Gales

Sedge Warblers on the move (David Kinchin-smith)

Garden Warbler in the undergrowth

Spot the Owl...a snap shot of the Short-eared Owl (Will Scott)

Wednesday 15th May comments: Its never dull on the Farnes, it just never is. I’ll bring the full story of our day on Friday but with the wind reaching almost gale force north-easterly with lashing rain, it certainly wasn’t a day to forget. For the vast majority of people a day like this is one to spend indoors, sheltering from the wind and the rain and keeping warm. But not for the rangers of the Farnes!

At this time of year, birds are migrating north, heading for their breeding grounds in continental Europe. With the Farnes lying off the east coast of the UK, easterly winds are very welcome over here with birds being blown onto the islands and grounded by the rain. Today produced a good scattering including a stunning Short-eared Owl which flew low west over the islands.Tomorrow the weather is due to settle and we’ll open our doors again and look forward to seeing everyone.

Today’s highlights: Common Sandpiper, Short-eared Owl 1 west, Tree Pipit, Blackbird, Black Redstart 3, Redstart 2, Wheatear 7, Garden Warbler 3, Sedge Warbler 2 and Willow Warbler 7.